Rehab

I'm missing the beautiful shops (and weather) in Phnom Penh and so thought I would introduce a few of my favourites.

One hidden gem of an UGO shop is Rehab Craft Cambodia (RCC)* - a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization developed to create employment for Cambodians with disabilities. The shop is in BKK - No. 69, Street 315. The shop appears to be a very small inadequately stocked oven of a place. The heat was baking. I went in to it and to say it was warm would be an understatement. However, I did find and want to purchase this beautiful piece of silk [picture to follow].

Now, I went to ask if I could pay for the silk in the workshop area next to the oven/shop and was asked to go upstairs to pay.... upstairs??!! Oh on going up I found a delightfully large, air-conditioned shop full of a range of items. I spent much more time browsing here and added quite a lot to my original purchase. The merchandise is good quality and the range is great - Wooden carvings, kitchen things, bags made of rice bags, silk, cushions, bags, games....

I'd definitely recommend a trip up the stairs! To think I ignored this shop everyday as I motorbiked past it every day on my way to work all because the oven is actually just a large display window (I thought it was odd there were no staff in the oven....or perhaps not given the heat)

http://www.camnet.com.kh/rehabcraft/

More favourites to follow...

*Rehab Craft Cambodia was established in 1995 and pays fair wages. Its workers earn two and one-half to three times the average factory–production wage. It is a is a member of the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) and of the Artisans’ Association of Cambodia.